Will Oracle Allow Equal Access?

From: Worklife Education Resource Center <worklife> Subject: Will Oracle Allow Equal Access? Open Letter to: Philip Wilson, Senior Vice President Human Resources, Oracle Corporation 500 Oracle Parkway, Redwood Shores, CA 94065 From: Jon Barton, Coordinator of Organizing, Justice for Janitors c/o SEIU Local 1877, 186 E. Gish Rd, San Jose, CA 95112 June 29, 1993 Dear Mr. Wilson, Members of Justice for Janitors have received copies of your memo dated 6/10/93 denying the allegations of abuses suffered by the janitors working for Service by Medallion at Oracle. We feel it is important that we have an equal opportunity to respond. We understand that this memo was circulated on e-mail, via "sendmail" to all employees at Oracle. At the moment, Justice for Janitors has no means of establishing similar communication with all of Oracle's employees. As a result, many have been exposed only to one side of this discussion. This is clearly an imbalanced flow of information. We believe this imbalance is inherently prejudicial and unfair. In the interests of fairness, we believe that Oracle employees should have equal access to both sides of this debate. Otherwise, it would be impossible for them to make fully informed decisions or sound judgements regarding the janitors' situation at Oracle. It is clear that Oracle has gone to some effort to investigate and disseminate Medallion's position that everything is fine and there have never been any problems - although these denials of abuse have not been substantiated. By contrast, it is striking that Oracle has not extended any effort whatsoever to investigate or disseminate the janitors' position. We would like to rectify these imbalances. Attached, you will find three documents: a detailed response to your June 3rd memo, substantiating the janitors' allegations of abuse; one janitor's personal testimony of the working conditions he faced working for Medallion at the Oracle buildings; and the original article from CPSR's newsletter. We request that you circulate this letter and all three attachments to all of Oracle's employees, via "sendmail" or an analagous mechanism. We specifically request that you circulate the article to which you responded in your memo, as not all Oracle employees received this article, and may not have read the original allegations. A cc to "worklife@igc.apc.org" with headers and footers intact would be sufficient documentation to verify full circulation. Given Oracle's stated concern over the seriousness of these matters, I hope that we find you supportive of this request for a full, open dialogue. However, should you refuse this request, we would appreciate a full and immediate explanation of your position. Sincerely, Jon Barton Coordinator of Organizing cc: James Abrahamson, Co-Chairman, Board of Directors Robert Shaver, Vice President of Administration Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility Public Networks: WELL, LaborNet, PeaceNet, Activ-l Attachment # 1: - Justice For Janitors Response to Oracle's 6/10/93 memo - ORACLE MAKES $1.2 BILLION - JANITORS LIVE IN POVERTY The janitors who clean the Oracle Systems headquarters work for janitorial contractor Service by Medallion. Many workers at Medallion make less than $11,000/year BEFORE TAXES. Yet San Mateo county is one of the most expensive places to live in the country. Health insurance for a single mother with two children costs over $3,200/year at Medallion, as Oracle learned in their own recent investigation of the contractor. Most janitors take their chances and use the public hospitals when they, or their children are sick. Isn't it ironic that people who work in the buildings of one of Silicon Valley's most successful companies are forced to use county hospitals, draining county resources in a time of severe budget shortfalls? Janitors a few miles north in San Francisco ear almost twice as much per hour and receive full health benefits for themselves and their families. LAWLESSNESS AT ORACLE? * This month, the California Department of Occupational Safety and Health investigated complaints of dangerous conditions at the Oracle Headquarters. * Janitors at the Oracle buildings routinely report being forced to work overtime and NEVER being paid for it. * On June 14th of this year, janitors from Medallion filed a class action lawsuit in the Santa Clara Superior Court demanding compensation for unpaid work, and charging numerous other violations of State law. Many of the workers involved worked for Medallion cleaning Oracle's buildings. * Service by Medallion is currently under investigation by the US Department of Labor (Case #9330006) where dozens of workers filed charges for violations of Federal laws. Several workers have already won their back pay because the violations were so clear. San Jose's Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor is investigating violations of Federal laws on overtime, minimum wage, and child labor. * Recently, in case #32-CA-12913, the National Labor Relations Board found evidence that Service by Medallion had illegally INTERROGATED WORKERS who stood up for their rights. * Twenty janitors at Oracle submitted petitions dated February 17, 1993 and addressed to Randy Smith, Director of Facilities at Oracle, and to Jim Arce, Vice President at William Wilson and Associates complaining of poverty wages, no affordable health insurance, harassment, and discrimination. * Janitors at SbM regularly report harassment and threats when they speak out or try to exercise their rights. WHY IS ORACLE DEFENDING SERVICE BY MEDALLION? On the week of June 7th, Oracle's Human Resource Department circulated a memo in which they expressed concern over the janitors' situation. The memo then distorted the allegations of abuse under Service by Medallion, and characterized them as "misleading" and untruthful; denied receipt of the janitors' petitions; and reassured that "the treatment extended by Medallion to its staff is fair, equitable, and respectful." While it is nice to see Oracle's concern, it is strange to see Oracle defending a contractor with so many problems. Many other high tech companies in Silicon Valley use contractors that have no legal problems, provide living wages and affordable benefits, and respect their workers. SUPPORT JUSTICE FOR JANITORS Ask Oracle why they support a company like Service by Medallion. Write to: Chairman James Abrahamson: jabraham@oracle.com Oracle Corporation World Headquarters 500 Oracle Parkway, Redwood Shores, CA 94402 (415) 506-2106 Justice for Janitors - c/o SEIU Local 1877 186 E. Gish Rd, San Jose, CA 95112 (408) 452-8515 worklife@igc.apc.org ********************************************* Attachment #2 - Testimony by Mario Rivera, former Medallion janitor - ***Personal Testimony - Mario Rivera - June 23rd,1993*** My name is Mario Rivera. I worked as a janito